Meandering Thoughts

Summer

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

My Little Brother

OMG, waiting on my little brother Michael to call was like a kid waiting on Christmas morning to come. His lovely wife Jeanne told me that he was busy Friday morning and she and I continued to share information.

Mike, age one....

Finally in frustration at spending so much time in front of the computer, I went to the studio. I had a couple of packages to get in the mail and so I went out to get them ready. I wasn't there five minutes and my phone tells me I have a voicemail! It never rang, it just went to voicemail. Of course it was that long awaited call from Mike, my brother.

I had to rush back in the house to get his number and call him back as fast as I could. My heart melted when he called me "Cindy". Oh, I've been called Cindy my entire life, in the last ten years, since I started selling my art I've been going by Cynthia. I thought it sounded more "artsy". To have him call me Cindy truly took me back to my childhood. A brother should call me Cindy.

My handsome little brother.....

We talked about different things, I'm having trouble recalling just what we talked about, I was just so happy to be having the connection. I called my brother, Brian (who I did grow up with) and he seems as happy about this as I do and that is all that matters.

I am also anxious to make some sort of connection with my other two brothers, Mark and Mitch. In time that will happen, I am sure.

My brother, Michael Stephen DeRemer

Right now I am basking in the new found family.

The Rest of the story,

I wrote the first of this continuing story on March 26, 2011 and today is June 7, 2011 and this is the next chapter.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE.....

This past weekend my new found brother, Michael Stephen DeRemer and his lovely wife Jeanne came to Ohio, they came to meet me and my family. I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude. To know he was as anxious to make a connection as I was, it is something I prayed for since the moment I heard him call me "Cindy".

I have needed to make the connection to the other side of my family tree for a long time. I totally believe that things happen in your life when you are ready, not always because you think you are ready, but when a higher power knows you are ready. Not knowing anything about my birth father has been somewhat dormant inside me until very recently. I have spent my entire life living as most of us do, not really thinking much about the past. Then little things started happening, nudging my curiosity, perhaps it was time.

First it was the TV program "Who Do You Think You Are". That lead me to Ancestry.com and then those little leaves started popping out when I put names in of people I'd somehow found that had been forever hidden... until now. Distant cousins contacted me and really pushed me to start making calls. I am forever grateful to them, it was so difficult to do. I am not very brave when it comes to exposing my insecurities to strangers.

I have actually spoken with my birth father, Stephen Guy DeRemer. The conversation was brief and not exactly what a daughter with a longing heart would hope for. He did give me the name and number of his oldest son from his second marriage to contact about the family history. My fear almost got the best of me. What would he know of his fathers past, what would he think about having a sister? Fear can keep you from moving forward, my distant cousins pushed me again to make a contact.

Me, brother Mike and lovely Jeanne......

The rest is history, now a new chapter and a new memory in my life. My brother is awesome and so is his wife Jeanne. They spent last weekend at our home and we shared ourselves openly, authentically, and with love. My heart is overwhelmed and fairly bursting with joy.

All of our children and grandchildren came to meet their Uncle Mike and my new found cousin Gina came too. We shared old photo albums with one another, we talked, laughed, and ate together, just like families do. It was easy and it will flourish into much more, this I am sure of!

To say my heart is happy is very much an understatement of my feelings, sometimes there are no words for the way you feel. I wish I were a poet and could write the perfect lines to translate my feelings. Just know I'm happy and dreams do come true. I love you Mike and Jeanne!

3 comments:

Hi Cynthia. wonderful story. I loved reading your adventure. I must of missed your March post but now I'm caught up. Back in 2004 I used Ancestry.com to find my birth family which included the discovery of three younger sisters all of us from the same birth mother and father. I was put up for adoption because my birth mother was only 16 at the time. We are very close now. I feel your joy many times over!!!